Research in Interpreting & Translation

Research in Interpreting and Translation Studies at UNSW concerns complex issues that affect real people in the real world. At local, national, and international levels, interpreting and translation are critical to intercultural communication, access to public services, trade, education, research and development, diplomacy, and cultural and societal exchanges.

At UNSW, we conduct pure and applied research that:

Improves the practice and training of interpreters and translators

Explores the factors that impinge on interpreting quality in the workplace

Investigates the effects of interpreting on society

Develops our understanding of the processes involved in interpreting and translation

Explores the potential and impact of language technologies

Our researchers in Interpreting and Translation Studies are international leaders in their fields and come from diverse linguistic, cultural, and professional backgrounds. Their work is widely cited nationally and internationally, and is continuously being employed by many other universities, organisations, and practitioners in a variety of contexts. The results of our research have also led to concrete policy, educational, and industrial change in Australia and across the globe.

Research focus

Our research in Interpreting and Translation is focused on three main areas:

Interpreting in community and international settings

Text and context analysis for translation

Languages technologies and translation process studies

Our interpreting research examines questions associated with interpreting quality and interpreting impact, particularly in the legal and courtroom settings. It looks at the relationship between interpreting quality, training and working conditions in various settings (e.g., medical, police, national and international courts, conferences) and at the impact of the interpretation on the outcomes. Our most recent research areas address: interpretation users’ responsibility for interpreting quality and other inter-professional factors that impact interpreting; the impact of interpreting modes on witness credibility and the difference in performance between trained and untrained interpreters (see publications by Professor Sandra Hale and Associate Professor Ludmila Stern)

Our translation staff research descriptive and analytical approaches to translation studies and develop pedagogical tools for translator education and translation quality assessment as well as describing translation stylistics (see publications by Dr Mira Kim). We study the impact that language technologies, such as machine translation, have on our increasingly technological and multilingual world. Using state-of-the-art methods (including eye tracking, electroencephalography, and psychometrics) we also investigate the cognitive processes and reception of translated content, from subtitles and media to specialised texts (see publications by Dr Stephen Doherty).

Staff strengths and accomplishments

Our strengths lie in academic excellence, social engagement, and global impact. We are world leaders in academic excellence for our research quality and the educational experience we provide. We are commended for our social engagement in:

Improving interpreting and translation services for a just society

Enabling and collaborating with other researchers and practitioners to tackle the grand challenges of our time

Fostering knowledge exchange for social progress and economic prosperity

Significant funding from the Australian Research Council to investigate the impact of interpreters on witness credibility, to enable equity for deaf jurors and to educate medical practitioners on effective ways to work with interpreters

Invited consultation from the National Accreditation Authority for Translators and Interpreters to improve interpreting and translator accreditation

Work-integrated learning in the form of practicum and internship activities linked with industry and other disciplines

Affiliation with AUSIT, the national professional association for translators and interpreters

Members of advisory boards, councils and committees of Multicultural NSW, Standards Australia, and the Australian Institute of Interpreters and Translators

Strategic funding from UNSW’s Learning and Teaching Unit to develop blended-learning courses in translation and interpreting; investigate the efficacy of learning analytics in multilingual cohorts; and support students’ bilingual enhancement.